More than just a window
Jenni Young, sector market manager, Saint-Gobain Glass UK, explains Why the right glass is essential for a comfortable home.
As the UK experiences a new era of warmer summers, the conversation around how we build and renovate our homes is changing.
Homeowners are increasingly prioritising large glazed areas, from stunning bi-fold doors that merge indoor and outdoor spaces, to light-filled garden rooms and glazed extensions. While these features create beautiful, open living areas, they also introduce a new challenge: overheating in warmer months.
For too long, glass has been seen as a simple, static material. However, modern glass technology has evolved dramatically, offering innovative solutions that go far beyond a single function. For installers and fabricators, this presents both a responsibility and a powerful opportunity.
The right glass choice is no longer just “the default option” – it’s a critical component and decision for ensuring year-round comfort, reducing energy bills, and creating a comfortable, modern living space.
The overheating problem
The demand for more natural light and better connections to gardens and patios has led to a shift towards expansive glazing. While this is great for aesthetics, it can turn a south or west-facing room into an uncomfortably hot space during the summer.
This isn’t just a matter of personal comfort; it’s a recognised issue in UK building standards. In England, Document O of the Building Regulations was introduced specifically to address the risk of overheating in new homes and extensions.
This makes it more important than ever for fabricators and installers to play a vital role in ensuring compliance by specifying glass that can actively manage solar heat gain. By offering expert advice, you can help customers achieve their design vision without compromising on comfort.
The power of solar control
The good news is that there are highly effective solutions that are simple to implement. The key lies in using solar control glass, which features a high-tech coating. This coating works by reflecting a significant portion of the sun’s heat away from the building, preventing it from entering the room, all without sacrificing natural light.
Products like Planitherm One T and Cool-Lite SKN176 are engineered to help occupants enjoy bright, airy rooms without the discomfort of excessive summer heat. But their benefits don’t stop there. These products also feature a low-emissivity coating that provides excellent thermal insulation.
This clever dual-action performance means they keep homes warm in the winter by reflecting internal heat back into the room, and cool in the summer by blocking external heat. This year-round performance enhances comfort and helps to lower heating and cooling costs.
Understanding the numbers
When it comes to selecting glass to prevent overheating, one of the most important metrics to understand is the G-value (or solar factor). This value measures the percentage of the sun’s energy that passes through the glass. A lower G-value means less heat gets through.
For example, our Cool-Lite SKN176 176 glass has a g-value of 0.37 meaning 37% of the sun’s heat energy passes through the glass, while Planitherm One T has a g-value of 0.49. For properties with extensive glazing or rooms that get a lot of direct sun, recommending a lower G-value glass is an easy way to significantly reduce the risk of overheating, all while maintaining excellent clarity and transparency.
It’s a simple, scientific way to show your customers that you’re offering a product that delivers real-world performance.
More than just heat control
Today’s high-performance glass delivers multiple benefits. Laminated glass enhances security and protects interior furnishings by filtering out harmful UV rays, while acoustic laminate offers all these advantages with the added benefit of reducing external noise for a more peaceful indoor environment.
Glass makes up a huge part of any window or glazed door installation, often accounting for 70% or more of the total unit. It is the defining component that determines a room’s feel, energy efficiency, and overall performance.
For installers and fabricators, this is a chance to stand out, to differentiate. By proactively recommending smarter glass choices, you’re not just selling a product – you’re selling a solution to a modern problem. You’re helping your customers create homes that are not only stylish and beautiful but also comfortable, energy-efficient, and future-ready.
By reframing the conversation around glass as a high-performance material, you can help your customers truly feel the difference that better glass makes.
